Stringed instrument with vibrating resonance-boards suspended within the resonance-box.



UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

Y PATENT OFFICE.

CAROLINE CHRISTINE APPELBERG AND MARIA KRTTMMEL, OF AIX-LA- CHAPELLE, GERMANY, ONLY HEIRS-AT-LAW OF CARL FRIEDRICH JACOB APPELBERG, DECEASED.

STRINGED INSTRUMENT WITH VIBRATING RESONANCE-BOARDS SUSPENDED WITHIN THE RESONANCE-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,3.733, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed September 7, 1904. $cria1 No. 223,665.

To 1/ 1071/0177, it m/ru concern.-

Be it known that CARL FRIEDRICH J ACOB ArrnLnnno, deceased, late a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, and a resident of Aix-la-Chapelle, (Jlcrmany, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Instruments; and we, CAROLINE C HRISTINE Arrnnnnne, residing at No. 30 Augustastrasse, and MARTA Kni'ninnnL, residing at No. 57 Augustastrasse, Aixla-Chapelle, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of Germany, his heirs-at-law, subjects of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

. The present invention relates to stringed instruments, and particularly to the resonanceboxofsueh instruments,and has for its object to provide means by whose aid the sound of such instruments is not only strengthened, but also refined and enriched, to which end plate-like vibrating resonanceboards or tongues are arranged within the resonance-box of the instrument in such a manner that the boards or tongues are placed in different heights above the bottom of the resonance-box and are overlapping each other with their free ends. In this manner the vibrations of the elastic [ibers of the wooden resonance boards or tongues are strengthening the tone or the strings in unison with the air contained within the resonance-box, as the vibrations of the air are compelled by the resonance boards or tongues to take a prescribed route, so that, for instance, a cheap box-violin if provided with this simple device will equal in volume of tone any of the old master violins.

This invention may be applied with the same advantages to violins, bass viols, violoncellos, counter-basses, and to any other instrument provided with a resonance-box.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a violin-body having its top and other parts removed to show the outline of the resonance boards or tongues. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing in addition a part of the top of a violin and parts supported thereby.

To the ends (1/ and 7) of the resonance-box c of a violin or any other stringed instrument wooden blocks are secured for the reception of the resonance boards or tongues cl and 0, respectively. The blocks 7" and g placed at the end a. of the resonance-box are arranged at the sides of the stay or prop 71 and each is provided with a slot 2' for the reception of the one end of the resonance-board (Z, shaped to closely conform to the outlines of the inside of the vertical wall 7r; of the resonance-box 0. To obtain the best results, the resonance-board (i must approach the vertical wall 70 as closely as perfect workmanship can efiect itwithout permitting said resonance-board d to touch said wall at any point, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. In a similar manner the resonance board or tongue 0 is secured to the end 6 of the resonance-box 0 by means of the blocks Z- and m, of which each is provided with a slot n. for the reception of the one end of the resonance-board a whose outlines are closely following the outlines of the wall is at this end of the resonance-box c.

Fig. 1 is showing at .a glance that the free end of the resonance-board (Z is rounded off, whereas the free end 01 the resonance-board e, overlapping the resonance-board (Z, is made tongue-shaped to a very considerable degree, so as not to block up the direct communication between the lower layers of air within the resonance-box with the S-shaped sound-holes in the top 0 of the resonance-box. To increase the vibrating power of the resonance-boards, their thickness is diminishing toward their free end, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

It is evident that in some instruments more or less than two resonance-boards may be employed, if desirable, and that the attached ends of these boards may be secured otherwise than the inside of the respective end portions of the vertical wall of said resonance-box at different heights above the bottom of the latter to overlap each other.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CAROLINE CIIRISTiNE APPELBERG, MARIA KRUMMEL, Heirsnt-Zmu of Ga /Z Friedrich Jacob 1112120100710,

deceased.

Witnesses HENRY QUODFLIEG, GERARD OnLLnRs. 

